HOW TO CONTROL DYNAMICS

The easiest and most common way to control
dynamics/volume, is through stick heights. If you play from a lower
stick height you will produce a softer sound than if you play from a
higher height. Why? There is less time for energy and momentum to
enter the stroke.

You can however produce a fairly loud sound
from a low stick height if you use a technique such as a finger snap
or the push-pull technique, but for general playing, the
stick heights concept works best most times.

How many stick
heights are there? The 3 most common as recognized in rudimental
snare drumming, are tap (soft), half (moderate) and full (loud)
strokes. These are the 3 heights most beginners start out with as it
gives you a fairly broad scope of the dynamic range. But really, you
can use the tiniest increments in stick heights. If you started from 2mm
above the drum head, and kept going up in tiny increments (say 1cm
or less), all the way up until you were forcefully belting the drum,
you could have 20-30 increments, and therefore stick heights. This
would mean theoretically, you would have 20-30 different dynamic
levels you could draw on. WHY DO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO PLAY AT DIFFERENT DYNAMIC
LEVELS?

Because not all music is meant to be played
loud you meat head! ;) Seriously though, different styles of music
call for different dynamic levels, and most styles use more than one
dynamic level in the same piece of music. Dynamic playing however
isn't solely dictated by the style of the music..

A broadly
accepted concept is, "you play to the room". What that means is if
you're playing in a room that has a naturally big, reasonant sound
(maybe a concert hall, or perhaps a restaurant with wooden walls)
you might need to play softer (lower stick heights, or use rods or
brushes). If you're performing that same piece of music in a softer
room (a carpeted rehearsal studio, the middle of a football field,
you might need to play louder. The point is, other than the style,
always be aware of the acoustical environment you're in and adjust
your performance to suit that.